Your Favorite Sweet Things Modified For Fewer Calories

I admit it: I have an addiction to sweets. From pies to chocolate to birthday cake, I have a love of anything sweet. Unfortunately, the calories add up. If you are like me, you will want to eat sweet things, but you will not want them to add inches on to your waistline. By using yogurt to make parfaits inspired by your favorite sweets, you will be able to stay slim this summer season, and your sweet tooth will be satisfied!

Here are five of my favorite desserts, modified to promote weight loss.

• If you feel like having a banana split: Chop strawberries and bananas. Mix them in a bowl with yogurt. Vanilla yogurt works really well in this recipe, if you want it to be like a classic banana split that has strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla. Or you can make your “banana split” vegan by using soy yogurt. Add canned or fresh pineapple on top.
• Want a margarita, but without the calories of alcohol? In a mixer, mix ½ cup of fresh or frozen strawberries with 1 cup thawed margarita mix. Pour the mixture into a bowl and mix with Greek yogurt. If you want, you can cut up a mango or buy frozen mango slices and mix them in with the yogurt and rest of the mixture.
• Everyone deserves to feel like it’s their birthday every now and then, even if it isn’t. If you like birthday cake, try our low-fat version by mixing vanilla yogurt with sprinkles. Add whipped cream and a cherry on top if you feel like it. Sure, it has sugar, but at the end of the day you’re still consuming fewer calories than if you ate a full slice of cake.
• If you’re craving Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, try taking plain coconut cream ice cream. To replicate my personal favorite Cherry Garcia, mix canned cherry pie filling and ½ cup chocolate chips in with the ice cream.
• Strawberry Shortcake: Cut vanilla cake into cubes. Chop some strawberries. Then, in a parfait dish (or if you don’t have one, a plastic cup will do), layer Greek yogurt with the vanilla cake slices and strawberries.